In the wake of ownership change at the long stalled CentrePointe project, the city of Lexington is weighing proposals from two consulting groups vying to help decide where a new city hall should be built.
“We issued an RFP on Aug. 20 for a consultant to help us with site selection and space planning,” said Susan Straub, spokeswoman for Lexington Mayor Jim Gray.
Straub said the city received two responses — one from Haymaker Commercial Real Estate, based in Lexington; the other from Cincinnati-based Jones Lang La Salle Property Management — by the Sept. 8 deadline. Straub said the city cannot reveal the substance of the proposals until the work is awarded. Any decision on whether the new government building eventually is built on the CentrePointe block downtown, as the site’s new developers have suggested, or elsewhere isn’t expected anytime soon.
The RFP said the city wants consultants to study the government’s downtown properties, namely the Government Center Building and Garage on East Main Street and the Switow Building, a few doors away. The two buildings provide work space for 334 employees and house council chambers and multiple conference rooms.
In the RFP’s “Scope of Work” section, consultants were told they would analyze the current Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s use of space and develop recommendations for future needs. The consultants also are expected to identify alternatives for new facilities either on property already owned by LFUCG or on outside properties.
The latter idea has generated some interest after the moribund CentrePointe project saw some new life. On Aug. 7, CentrePointe’s new developers announced they would consider partnering with the city to include a new city hall as part of their project design. Previous CentrePointe design plans have included a hotel, offices, retail space and a parking garage. Gray did not take a public position on the proposal, instead issuing a statement saying protecting taxpayers was paramount.
“We need to be cautious about it,” said council member-at-large Richard Moloney. “The problem I have with it is we’re talking about the most expensive property in downtown Lexington, I think. The city would lease [space in] the building when we already own our own buildings. I’ll be open-minded and see what they bring to the table, but leasing a building isn’t one of my top priorities.”
The city has had a new city hall on its wish list for years. The administration of former Mayor Jim Newberry solicited a study that recommended a new city hall be built outside of downtown near New Circle Road, but the plan wasn’t carried out for economic reasons. Two years ago, the city sought a private developer to help build a city hall but the plan never materialized.
“I’m willing to wait for the RFP to come back to see what is best for the city of Lexington,” said Moloney. “But it comes down to whether we can afford a new building, period.”
Whichever consulting firm is hired by the city, it will have 90 days to deliver its report and recommendations.
One of the new developers for CentrePointe is Atit Jariwala, CEO of Bridgeton Holdings, a New York City firm with more than 60 real estate projects in 12 states and another 11 in development. Jariwala declined an interview request on the matter.
“We need a little more time right now. If you don’t mind, we’ll get in touch when we’re ready, which should be soon,” Jariwala said in an email.
“They have come to us, but I hope they’re looking at clients other than the government and are not waiting on us,” said Moloney.
Renee Jackson, president of Downtown Lexington Corporation, recalled the 2008 Commerce Lexington trip to Austin, Texas, during which city and community leaders saw Austin’s iconic new City Hall. She said she wouldn’t mind seeing a very special city hall created on the CentrePointe lot, or elsewhere. The Austin City Hall is unique, with copperclad and limestone finishes and has been described as “playful and unconventional.”
Aside from containing government offices, the site has plazas and an amphitheater and is a busy gathering place for Austin residents and visitors. The surrounding neighborhood is being transformed with restaurants, nightspots, mid-rise office buildings and housing. “It’s a real gem in their downtown,” said Jackson. “Sometimes government offices that typically close up at 5 o’clock can be a hindrance for a downtown. I think a government center that had other purposes would be fine.”
Larry Jones, president of the Central Kentucky Region for Community Trust Bank, said he would be interested in knowing what would happen to the current Government Center should the city abandon it.
“It would leave an empty building downtown,” he noted. But Jones was hopeful about the prospect of using the CentrePointe block. “Maybe we would get something iconic and meaningful to downtown Lexington on that block. My windows look right out at it, so I’ve been staring at it for the fi ve years since I’ve been in Lexington.